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Daily Clips

September 11, 2015

LOS ANGELES DODGERS CLIPS FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2015

DODGERS.COM: Seager on MLB Pipeline's Prospect Team of the Year – Jim Callis Dodgers deal lefty Coulombe to A's for cash – Austin Laymance LA TIMES: Dodgers Dugout: Who should win the Cy Young? Greinke, Kershaw or Arrieta? – Houston Mitchell Consistency of Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen sometimes gets overlooked – Dylan Hernandez Dodgers trade left-handed reliever Daniel Coulombe to A's for cash – Steve Dilbeck Dodgers rolling despite Adrian Gonzalez and Justin Turner slumping – Steve Dilbeck OC REGISTER: Dodgers' Zack Greinke, Clayton Kershaw set pace in NL Cy Young race – Bill Plunkett On deck: Dodgers at Diamondbacks, Friday, 6:40 p.m. – Bill Plunkett LA DAILY NEWS: Dodgers destined for playoffs, but same problems persist – Vincent Bonsignore TRUEBLUELA.COM: Dodgers vs. Diamondbacks probable starting pitchers – Eric Stephen Dodgers vs. Diamondbacks series snapshot: Arizona edition – Eric Stephen Julio Urias shelled in OKC loss, Great Lakes eliminated – Eric Stephen A review of 2015 preseason top 20 Dodgers prospects – David Hood ESPN LA: Seager growing into a major role with Dodgers – Mark Saxon DODGER INSIDER: Dodger minor league report No. 22: Even with Lee and Urias, Triple-A Dodgers up against the wall – Cary Osborne */** - Jon Weisman Good guy Turner nominated for Marvin Miller Man of the Year Award – Cary Osborne A September Sinatra centennial celebration at Dodger Stadium – Cary Osborne Daniel Coulombe traded to A’s – Jon Weisman Ruggiano, Schebler, Seager, Utley: Celebrating the September quartet – Jon Weisman NBC LA: 8 Year Old Boy With Leukemia Touches The Lives of Dodgers Stars – Michael Duarte JEWISH TELEGRAPHIC AGENCY: Meet Joc Pederson, the Jewish rookie powering L.A. Dodgers’ run to playoffs – Hillel Kuttler CBS LA: Dodgers Will Host Frank Sinatra Tribute On Sept. 18 – CBSLA.com

LOS ANGELES DODGERS DAILY CLIPS

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2015

DODGERS.COM

Seager on MLB Pipeline's Prospect Team of the Year

By Jim Callis

The Minor League regular season ended on Monday, as did our run of selecting MLBPipeline.com's

Prospect Team of the Week every week for the previous five months. So it's only natural that we wrap

up the season by choosing a Prospect Team of the Year.

First, a quick PTOW recap. Cubs catcher/outfielder Kyle Schwarber and Astros first baseman A.J. Reed

tied for the most PTOW honors with four each. They also were the only two realistic candidates for our

Position Prospect of the Year award, with Schwarber earning the nod for getting the job done at higher

levels, including fueling Chicago's drive for the playoffs.

Indians first baseman Bobby Bradley, Rangers outfielder Lewis Brinson, Astros shortstop Carlos Correa,

Mariners outfielder Tyler O'Neill and Rockies infielder Trevor Story all earned three PTOW berths. No

pitcher earned that many, though six did receive two mentions: Twins right-hander Tyler Duffey, Reds

righty Tyler Mahle, Orioles left-hander John Means, Yankees lefty Jordan Montgomery, Royals/Reds lefty

Cody Reed and Rays lefty Blake Snell. Snell is our Pitching Prospect of the Year.

Led by Reed and Correa, the Astros led all organizations with 23 PTOW selections. Six other systems

reached double digits: the Cubs (15), Twins (14), Dodgers (13), Indians (11) and Rockies (11). Every

organization had at least one, though the Braves had just one -- third baseman Austin Riley.

Anyone who spent roughly half of the year in the Minors (70 games for position players, 15 starts for

pitchers) qualified for our Prospect Team of the Year. That eliminated candidates such as Correa and

Sano, who were outstanding in the Minors and Majors but got promoted a bit too early for PTOY

purposes. There's still plenty of talent on this squad:

C: Kyle Schwarber (Graduated from Cubs Top 30 Prospects list)

125 G, .299/.402/.569, 87 R, 22 2B, 3 3B, 29 HR, 87 RBI, 72 BB, 131 SO, 4 SB

The Cubs took him No. 4 overall in the 2014 Draft, but never expected him to reach Wrigley Field this

quickly. Schwarber forced the issue by hitting .323/.430/.591 in 75 games between Double-A and Triple-

A this year, throwing in the Futures Game MVP award for good measure. He produced four hits in his

first big league start and has been the second-most productive hitter in a quality Chicago lineup, batting

.262/.356/.536 with 13 homers in 50 games.

1B: A.J. Reed (Astros No. 5 prospect)

135 G, .340/.432/.612, 113 R, 30 2B, 5 3B, 34 HR, 127 RBI, 86 BB, 122 SO

Another college hitter from the 2014 Draft, he unquestionably posted the best overall numbers in the

Minors this year. Reed led all players in runs, homers, RBIs, total bases (320), slugging and OPS (1.044)

and won the high Class A California League MVP Award. And while playing in a hitter's haven at high

Class A Lancaster helped, he did hit .332/.405/.571 with 11 homers in 53 Double-A games.

2B: Yoan Moncada (Red Sox No. 1 prospect)


The best prospect on the most loaded team in the Minors -- the low Class A Greenville Drive -- he

showed why Boston gladly gave him a $31.5 million bonus and paid a matching $31.5 million penalty to

sign him in March. Moncada spent the first six weeks of the season in extended spring training and was

hitting .200 after his first month of pro games. After that, he showcased four plus tools and hit

.311/.415/.505 with eight homers and 45 steals in his final 56 contests.

3B: Ryan McMahon (Rockies No. 5 prospect)


One of the youngest regulars in the Cal League, he also had the handicap of playing in the hitter-friendly

circuit's least-friendly park at Modesto. Nevertheless, McMahon led the league with 43 doubles, ranked

in the top 10 in most offensive categories and slammed 15 of his 18 homers on the road.

SS: Corey Seager, (Dodgers No. 1 prospect)


The 2014 Minor League batting champion (.349) began his encore by batting .375/.407/.675 in 20

Double-A games and easily handled Triple-A pitching as the youngest regular (age 21) in the Pacific

Coast League. He topped all Minor Leaguers in homers at shortstop (17) and has hit safely in each of

his first six big league starts this month, doubling in four of them.

OF: Lewis Brinson (Rangers No. 4 prospect)


One of the reasons Texas felt comfortable including outfielder Nick Williams in the Cole Hamels trade

with the Phillies is that Brinson has even more upside. Arguably the toolsiest player in arguably

baseball's toolsiest farm system, he has one of the highest power/speed ceilings in the Minors and

ranked second to Reed in slugging.

OF: Max Kepler (Twins No. 6 prospect)


Signed for a then-European record $800,000 out of Germany in 2009 at age 16, he only hinted at his

talent when he posted .267/.344/.418 numbers during his first five pro seasons. Kepler finally broke out

in 2015, winning Double-A Southern League MVP honors while topping the circuit in on-base percentage

(.416), slugging (.531) and OPS (.947) and ranking second in hitting (.322).

OF: Domingo Santana (Brewers No. 4 prospect)


Originally signed by the Phillies, he went to the Astros in a mid-2011 trade for Hunter Pence and to the

Brewers in a mid-2015 deal for Carlos Gomez and Mike Fiers. Between Fresno and Colorado Springs,

Santana led the PCL in slugging (.573) while finishing second in on-base percentage (.573) and third in

batting (.333). After Milwaukee called him up, he erased memories of his 0-for-17, 14-strikeout big

league debut in 2014 by homering five times in his first 16 games.

LHP: Blake Snell (Rays No. 2 prospect)

15-4, 1.41 ERA, 25 G, 23 GS, 134 IP, 84 H, 7 HR, 53 BB, 163 SO, .182 AVG, 1.02 WHIP

He had the most impressive Minor League feat of 2015, opening the season with 46 consecutive

scoreless innings (running his two-year streak to 49). Snell finished the year with a 1.41 ERA, the lowest

in the Minors since Justin Verlander's 1.29 a decade ago. He also paced the Minors in opponent average

and ranked fourth in victories and strikeouts per nine innings (10.9) and fifth in strikeouts.

RHP: Jose Berrios (Twins No. 2 prospect)

14-5, 2.87 ERA, 27 G, 27 GS, 166 1/3 IP, 136 H, 12 HR, 38 BB, 175 SO, .223 AVG, 1.05 WHIP

Though he led the Minors in strikeouts and started the Futures Game for the second straight year, he

couldn't get a callup from the contending Twins, who could have used him in their rotation. Berrios was

at his best after a July promotion to Triple-A -- where he was the youngest regular starter in the

International League, at age 21 -- and finished the season with eight quality starts and a 1.80 ERA in his

last 10 outings.

Dodgers deal lefty Coulombe to A's for cash

By Austin Laymance

The A's have acquired left-hander Daniel Coulombe from the Dodgers in exchange for cash

considerations, the club announced on Thursday.

Coulombe -- ranked by MLBPipeline.com as the Dodgers' No. 28 prospect at the time of the deal --

pitched in five games for the Dodgers this season across five stints in the Majors and recorded seven

strikeouts in 8 1/3 innings, posting a 7.56 ERA. He's pitched primarily at Triple-A this year, recording a

3.27 ERA in 38 relief appearances. The Dodgers drafted Coulombe in the 25th round of the 2012 First-

Year Player Draft, and he made his big league debut last year.

To clear a spot on the 40-man roster, the A's placed right-hander Evan Scribner on the 60-day disabled

list with a torn right lat muscle. Scribner was 2-2 with a 4.35 ERA in 54 relief appearances with the A's

this season. He recorded 64 strikeouts in 60 innings, but also allowed 14 home runs, most among Major

League relievers.

LA TIMES

Dodgers Dugout: Who should win the Cy Young? Greinke, Kershaw or Arrieta?

By Houston Mitchell

Hi, welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell, reminding you that

the Dodgers’ magic number to win the NL West is 15.

Still in control

Sure, I could sit here and complain about the Dodgers’ bullpen losing another game, but let’s face it: The

Dodgers are playing really well right now, having won 13 of their last 16, including five in a row until

Wednesday’s loss to the Angels. Will Dodgers fans ever be comfortable with this bullpen? Doubtful. The

seventh and eighth innings of every game will always cause the heart to race, the stomach acid to build,

the nails to be chewed. But the Dodgers have an 8 ½-game lead with 23 games to play. If they go 11-12

the rest of the way, the Giants would have to go 19-3 just to force a tie.

Who’s the best?

There are only three candidates for the NL Cy Young Award this season: Zack Greinke, Clayton Kershaw

and Chicago’s Jake Arrieta. It seems like a no-brainer for Greinke, but there is a groundswell of support

out there for Kershaw. And it’s possible that Greinke and Kershaw split the vote, allowing Arrieta to

sneak through (not to discount Arrieta, who is having a great season). But it seems right now to be

coming down to Kershaw and Greinke. I have set up a new poll in which you can rank the three

candidates in order. You can do that here. But first, take a look at the stats for all three:

Kershaw: 13-6, 2.15 ERA, 201 IP, 144 hits, 36 walks, 259 strikeouts, 0.896 WHIP

Greinke: 16-3, 1.68 ERA, 192.2 IP, 133 hits, 32 walks, 174 strikeouts, 0.856 WHIP

Arrieta: 18-6, 2.03 ERA, 191 IP, 132 hits, 44 walks, 197 strikeouts, 0.921 WHIP

Kershaw leads the NL in innings and strikeouts.

Greinke leads the NL in ERA and WHIP.

Arrieta leads the NL in wins and has pitched a no-hitter this season.

I think Greinke still deserves it, but Kershaw has been better since the All-Star break and still has some

starts left to make it really interesting.

Unwelcome Mat

Everyone’s favorite new Dodger, Mat Latos, was in a bit of a grumpy mood after learning he had been

scratched from Wednesday’s start because of a sore neck (probably injured whipping his head around to

watch all the balls rocket to the outfield). "I'm not talking," he said, when asked about it. Latos is 0-2

with a 6.56 earned-run average in five starts with the Dodgers, and hopefully will not start again until

after the Dodgers have clinched a playoff spot.

Ruggiano rises

Justin Ruggiano appears to be quickly becoming a fan favorite. A lot of people were puzzled when the

Dodgers acquired him from Seattle right at the trade deadline, but here’s the reason: He owns left-

handed pitchers. He has a career slugging average of .522 against left-handers. In 446 at-bats against

them (basically a full season), he is hitting .271 with 36 doubles and 24 home runs. He is hitting .455

with two homers for the Dodgers, and if he keeps producing numbers like that, the Dodgers will have to

find a spot for him on the postseason roster.

Speaking of the postseason

A lot of people have emailed me to ask which players are eligible for the postseason? The answer:

anyone in the organization before Sept. 1. So Corey Seager, hitting .360 with four doubles in 25 at-bats,

is eligible for the postseason. Everyone on the team right now is eligible to be on the playoff roster. We

will talk more about who the Dodgers should choose when we get closer to the playoffs.

Playoffs?

In case you are wondering, below is the playoff schedule for this year. If the season had ended Thursday

morning, Chicago would play at Pittsburgh in the one-game wild-card playoff, with the winner traveling

to St. Louis to play the five-game NL Division Series. The Dodgers would host New York in the other

NLDS.

NLDS

Friday, Oct. 9

Saturday, Oct. 10

Monday, Oct. 12

Tuesday, Oct. 13*

Thursday, Oct. 15*

NLCS

Saturday, Oct. 17

Sunday, Oct. 18

Tuesday, Oct. 20

Wednesday, Oct. 21

Thursday, Oct. 22*

Saturday, Oct. 24*

Sunday, Oct. 25*

World Series

Tuesday, Oct. 27

Wednesday, Oct. 28

Friday, Oct. 30

Saturday, Oct. 31

Sunday, Nov. 1*

Tuesday, Nov. 3*

Wednesday, Nov. 4*

*-if necessary

Ask Ross Porter

Former Dodgers announcer Ross Porter will be answering select reader questions for the rest of the

season. Email me a question for Ross, and I will pass it on to him. Here’s his latest response:

Rey O'Connor asks: Ross, do you think Dodger fans, especially the 70% who do not have access to

Dodger telecasts, are entitled to a firm and honest explanation as to why Dodger owners are letting this

completely ridiculous failure to communicate go into two seasons?

Ross: I am astonished, Rey, that this calamity has existed for so long. This has been a public-relations

disaster. Houston's poll this week showed almost 47% of the fans blame the Dodgers and nearly 40%

Time Warner Cable. This was a 25-year deal for over $8 billion. (That's right, 8 BILLION). How in the

world could the two sides afford NOT to reach a settlement? Has TWC paid the Dodgers a cent yet?

Time Warner Cable demands TV providers like Direct TV, AT&T, Cox, Dish and Verizon pay more money

for broadcast rights. And, a major sticking point is the providers don't want to charge their customers

$4.50 more a month for the Dodger games, feeling it would offend a nice lady in Pasadena who never

heard of an infield fly rule, and she would cancel her commitment. In May, Charter Communications

announced it wants to buy Time Warner for $55 billion, but that needs Federal Communications

Commission approval. So, is Time Warner waiting for that to happen before it decides to complete the

Dodger deal? Yes, the Dodgers need to give their fans an update. "Completely ridiculous failure" may

not be a strong enough expression.

And finally

Times Dodgers blogger Steve Dilbeck takes a look at whether you can thank Ron Roenicke for the fact

that the Dodgers have suddenly learned how to run the bases and have 20 steals in their last 12 games.

Consistency of Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen sometimes gets overlooked

By Dylan Hernandez

A recent pregame conversation on the Dodgers bench turned to the subject of the volatility of bullpens,

how relievers who are dominant one season often are hittable the next.

Aroldis Chapman of the Cincinnati Reds and Craig Kimbrel of the San Diego Padres were mentioned as

notable exceptions before Dodgers Manager Don Mattingly interjected.

Kenley Jansen also belongs in that group, Mattingly said.

And why not?

Jansen's performance might be lost these days by the failings of the otherwise inconsistent Dodgers

bullpen, but the 27-year-old converted catcher from Curacao might be more dominant now than he was

in his previous three seasons as the Dodgers closer.

Entering a three-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Jansen has converted 31 of 33 save

opportunities. He has a 2.06 earned-run average in 45 games and 70 strikeouts in 43 2/3 innings, an

average of 14.4 per nine innings.

"I think he's gotten better each year," pitching coach Rick Honeycutt said.

The noticeable change this season has been his ability to limit walks.

Jansen has walked only six, an average of 1.2 every nine innings. It's by far his career low and down from

2.6 last year.

"Just attack," Jansen said.

Setup man J.P. Howell agrees.

"There were times in the past he nibbled when he didn't have to nibble," Howell said.

But he sensed the more comfortable Jansen has become on the mound the more he has learned he

doesn't have to be perfect.

Jansen is afforded that luxury by the natural movement on his cut fastball.

"He has that late movement in the zone that misses bats or gets weak contact just by being in the zone,"

Honeycutt said, comparing the pitch to Mariano Rivera's.

Jansen has given up fewer walks but given up more home runs.

He has already served up five, as many as he gave up in 68 games last season. Howell doesn't view this

as a negative.

In fact, Howell, said, "That's the unselfish thing."

Jansen has often entered games with multi-run leads so, Howell said, it's better to give up an occasional

solo home run than to walk batters.

"He may even have a lower ERA, but that wouldn't make sense," Howell said. "He would put himself in

more jams."

Jansen said he is pleased with his consistency this season. His two blown saves were more than two

months apart.

"I feel like mentally I got stronger," he said.

In Honeycutt's view, the 6-foot-5 Jansen used to be susceptible to occasional rough stretches because

his mechanics would unravel if he went too long between appearances.

Now, Honeycutt said, "He understands what he has to do in between to stay somewhat sharp."

The Dodgers have increased their dependence on Jansen with their other relievers frequently stumbling.

Jansen pitched four times in a recent five-day stretch, once in a non-save situation and another time in a

game in which Pedro Baez was threatening to blow a four-run lead in the ninth inning.

Jansen said he doesn't mind the workload.

"Being a closer is being a leader," he said. "Whenever things catch on fire, you're the one that has to go

in and stop the fire."

Jansen was sidelined the first six weeks of the season recovering from a foot operation and believes that

the layoff could be benefiting him now.

Jansen's presence eliminates at least one late-game dilemma.

"It's a good feeling because you know what you're working to," Mattingly said. "With Kenley, if he's

available, you're going to try to get the ball to him. You're looking at the innings as, 'How do you piece it

together to get there?'"

Up next

Left-hander Alex Wood (3-3, 3.43 ERA) will face Robbie Ray (3-11, 3.72) and the Arizona Diamondbacks

on Friday at 6:40 p.m. PDT at Chase Field. TV: SportsNet LA; Radio: 570, 1020.

Dodgers trade left-handed reliever Daniel Coulombe to A's for cash

By Steve Dilbeck

The Dodgers bid adieu Thursday to left-handed reliever Daniel Coulombe, trading him to the Oakland

Athletics for cash.

Coulombe, 25, was up and down with the Dodgers three times this season. He appeared in five games,

finishing without a decision and a 7.56 earned-run average and 1.80 walks plus hits per inning pitched.

At triple-A Oklahoma City he appeared in 38 games, going 3-1 with one save, a 3.27 ERA and a 1.43

WHIP.

The Dodgers had designated the 5-foot-10, 190-pound pitcher for assignment Sept. 6 to add outfielder

Chris Heisey to the roster.

The Dodgers had no real need for Coulombe. They have left-handed relievers J.P. Howell and Luis Avilan

on the current roster, plus Adam Liberatore on their triple-A roster.

Dodgers rolling despite Adrian Gonzalez and Justin Turner slumping

By Steve Dilbeck

The Dodgers have been rolling of late, pulling away from the Giants, the team seemingly coming

together.

Wednesday’s loss aside, they have been playing their best baseball of the season and resembling the

team that’s been expected since their record payroll was put together. The Dodgers have won 13 of

their last 16 games, but there is something odd to their run.

They’ve largely pulled it off without great contribution from their top two hitters -- Adrian Gonzalez and

Justin Turner.

Both players are in their worst slumps of the season. Since Aug. 16, Gonzalez is hitting .185 (15 for 81)

and Turner .143 (11 for 77). Their full slash lines don’t look any better -- Gonzalez at .185/.295/.296 and

Turner at .143/.256/.221.

On most nights, these are the Dodgers’ No. 3 and No. 4 hitters. And they’re not hitting, not hitting

anything like they have most of the season.

Gonzalez leads the team with 82 RBI, and Turner is second at 52. Of the normal starters, Gonzalez leads

the team with a .491 slugging percentage and Turner is right behind at .491.

They have been at the heart of the offense all season, yet now that the Dodgers are at their best, their

production has wilted.

It doesn’t make sense, but again demonstrates how much baseball is a team sport. Certainly their

contributions on the field are still felt, but no one could have foreseen the Dodgers going on their best

run of the season while the heart of their lineup was so lifeless.

OC REGISTER

Dodgers' Zack Greinke, Clayton Kershaw set pace in NL Cy Young race

By Bill Plunkett

It is a two-man – one-team – race.

Only three times in the history of the Cy Young Award (first given to Brooklyn’s Don Newcombe in 1956)

have teammates finished 1-2 in the voting. Curt Schilling finished a distant second to Arizona

Diamondbacks teammate Randy Johnson in 2001 and 2002 when Johnson received 62 of the combined

64 first-place votes (Schillling received two first-place votes in 2001). And in 1974, Dodgers pitchers Mike

Marshall and Andy Messersmith finished atop the National League Cy Young Award voting, Marshall

getting 17 first-place votes and Messersmith five.

With apologies to Jake Arrieta, it should happen again this season. The double aces at the front of the

Dodgers’ rotation – Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke – are likely to be the first two names on most, if

not all, of the 30 ballots cast by BBWAA voters. They will almost undoubtedly be the first NL teammates

to each receive first-place votes in the Cy Young balloting since Cardinals teammates Adam Wainwright

and Chris Carpenter in 2009 (though Giants ace Tim Lincecum won the award that year).

The question is: Will those ballots start with Kershaw-Greinke … or Greinke-Kershaw?

“Whew – I don’t know,” Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said. “I’m glad I don’t have to vote.”

Their Cy Young cases are as different as their personalities.

Greinke leads the majors in ERA at 1.68 (and has for much of the season). He has a chance to end

Kershaw’s unprecedented four-year reign as the majors’ ERA leader and could post the lowest mark

since Greg Maddux’s 1.63 in 1995.

The right-hander also leads the majors in WHIP and could claim a Triple Crown of making life miserable

for hitters – he has the lowest opponents’ batting average (.192), on-base percentage (.233) and

slugging percentage (.280).

Kershaw, meanwhile, leads the majors in strikeouts (259). With four starts likely left and an average of

11.6 strikeouts per nine innings (tops in the NL), Kershaw could become the first pitcher to reach 300

strikeouts in a season since Johnson and Schilling both did it in 2002.

The left-hander is just behind Greinke in ERA and WHIP but edges him in several advanced pitching

statistics that heavily favor strikeouts. He leads all pitchers in FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching), its

cousin xFIP and pitchers WAR (Wins Above Replacement).

“Sabermetrics say Clayton. But Zack’s going to have an ERA of like 1.50 or so,” said the No. 3 starter

behind the two Cy Young candidates, Dodgers left-hander Brett Anderson. “When it comes to strictly

run prevention, I’d have to go with Zack.

“You know you’re going good when you give up three runs like he did the other night (Monday in

Anaheim) and your ERA goes up to 1.60-something.”

Kershaw (who has received 88 of the 120 first-place votes cast in the past four Cy Young races) said any

debate about whether he or Greinke has had the more Cy Young-worthy season interests him “not even

the least bit – I don’t think either of us care.” He offers a reminder that “there’s still four starts to go”

and things can change.

But even Kershaw acknowledges that is the strongest part of Greinke’s case – he hasn’t changed much

at all this season. He has not allowed more than nine earned runs in any month this season. His ERA

reached its high-water mark at 1.97 following his June 2 start in Colorado. Nineteen times in 28 starts,

he has allowed one run or none at all.

“You get spoiled when you see it every day – ‘Oh, he went six or seven innings again, gave up one run,’”

Kershaw said. “That’s the sign of a great season – when your teammates are, ‘Ho hum, another great

start.’ … He’s just been so consistent.”

There is a downside to spoiling people with such excellence, and Kershaw felt it this season. Through his

first nine starts, he was 2-3 with a 4.32 ERA. Such merely human results from the reigning Cy Young and

NL MVP made “What’s wrong with Clayton Kershaw?” one of the most-asked questions around baseball

in May.

If it is difficult to separate Greinke and Kershaw using statistics, it is much easier to do so by using the

calendar.

“I think the only thing that separates the seasons is that Kersh was rough for a couple starts – and it

really wasn’t that rough,” Mattingly said, diplomatically underestimating how long it took Kershaw to

find his Cy Young-level form. “Zack’s just been consistent pretty much out of the gate.”

At midseason, Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal told a story of Greinke finishing a spring outing and

declaring, “Kershaw better watch out because I’m coming after him.” But the idea that there is a

competition between the two pitchers raises Kershaw’s ire.

“He was kidding, obviously,” said Kershaw who has a 1.26 ERA and 0.78 WHIP in 19 starts since that slow

start.

“The idea that there’s a competition between us is the stupidest thing in the world,” Kershaw said. “To

me, the suggestion that teammates compete with each other is just ridiculous. We’re working for the

same goal (a World Series title). To say we’re competing against each other – it just seems selfish to

me.”

But doesn’t having two of the best pitchers in the game on the same staff push each other to be even

better?

“No,” Kershaw said. “I think we feel an obligation to our team, to live up to our contracts. I think we feel

an obligation to our teammates. Zack and I have a pretty good grasp on that.”

Healthy as Kershaw’s attitude might be, it also might be the total truth.

“Yeah, they probably wouldn’t say that. But, for sure, they do,” Anderson said when asked if Kershaw

and Greinke drive each other to be their best. “I’ve been on good pitching staffs before where we

definitely pushed each other. I think they (Kershaw and Greinke) push all of us on this staff to be better.

But those two are obviously at such a different level, I don’t know if the rest of us can do anything to

push them so they push each other.

“When you’re that good, that on top of the game, there’s only so many guys that can do that for you.

We just happen to have two of them on the same staff.”

On deck: Dodgers at Diamondbacks, Friday, 6:40 p.m.

By Bill Plunkett

Dodgers at Diamondbacks

Where: Chase Field

TV: SportsNet LA, 6:40 p.m.

Did you know: The Dodgers have won consecutive road series (at San Diego and Anaheim) for only the

second time this season (at Miami and Arizona from June 26-July 1).

THE PITCHERS

LHP ALEX WOOD (10-9, 3.54 ERA)

After his most recent start, Wood said he had talked with Dodgers manager Don Mattingly about having

been “a horse” for the Atlanta Braves and wanting to have the same responsibility with the Dodgers.

Wood backed that up by completing seven innings for the first time in seven starts for the Dodgers. He

has gone 3-3 with a 3.43 ERA and 1.36 WHIP as a Dodger.

Vs. Diamondbacks: 1-1, 1.59 ERA

At Chase Field: 1-0, 0.96 ERA

Loves to face: Aaron Hill, 0 for 6

Hates to face: Paul Goldschmidt, 3 for 6 (.500, 1 home run)

LHP ROBBIE RAY (3-11, 3.72 ERA)

Ray was 3-4 with a 2.16 ERA and held opposing batters to a .217 average through his first eight starts for

the Diamondbacks this year after starting the season in Triple-A. Things have not gone as well since

then. Ray is winless since July 7, going 0-7 with a 5.23 ERA in 10 starts since then. The Diamondbacks

have lost nine of those games. He is winless in seven starts at home this season.

Vs. Dodgers: 0-2, 4.26 ERA

At Chase Field: 0-5, 5.60 ERA

Loves to face: Scott Van Slyke, 0 for 3, 1 strikeout

Hates to face: A.J. Ellis, 1 for 2 (.500), 1 double

UPCOMING MATCHUPS

Saturday – Dodgers RHP Mike Bolsinger (6-3, 2.97 ERA) at Diamondbacks RHP Rubby De La Rosa (12-7,

4.49 ERA), 5:10 p.m., SNLA

Sunday – Dodgers RHP Zack Greinke (16-3, 1.68 ERA) at Diamondbacks LHP Patrick Corbin (5-3, 3.32

ERA), 1:10 p.m., SNLA

LA DAILY NEWS

Dodgers destined for playoffs, but same problems persist By Vincent Bonsignore Barring an epic collapse, the Dodgers will close September sitting atop their third consecutive National League West division title. That much was cinched after their 8-2 push over the past 10 games, including the virtual knockout punch they delivered in a three-game sweep over the second-place San Francisco Giants. It’s probably a bit too soon to lay down money on playoff tickets, but with an 8.5-game lead it wouldn’t hurt to start looking into New York City hotel rooms to support the Boys in Blue against the Mets in the National League Division Series. So much for the good news. Sorry, folks, it’s impossible to get too excited about this bunch beyond the inevitable champagne party they’ll throw in a few weeks celebrating another division championship. They don’t match up well against the Mets, who can throw all kinds of young pitchers at the Dodgers to go with an offense producing better than any team in baseball. And then there’s the Cardinals, who have made knocking the Dodgers out of the playoffs a fall tradition. Considering the $300 million payroll, it should be World Series or bust. But it most certainly isn’t. And that’s kind of shocking.

Despite the outlandish money the Dodgers are shelling out, they still haven’t figured out a way to improve their postseason chances. The same obvious, fixable issues that plagued them over their past two playoff appearances will likely be their downfall again. Despite bringing in new leadership and vision last winter with the intent on getting over the playoff hump, they did anything but. With a glaring pitching need behind aces Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke, the Dodgers only added to the problem by acquiring veterans Brett Anderson and Brandon McCarthy, both of whom arrived with injury issues and neither with any significant playoff experience. McCarthy is out for the season after managing just 23 innings this year. Sadly it was almost predictable considering McCarthy had started 30 games just once over his previous nine seasons and been on the disabled list 11 times. The Dodgers still owe him $38 million over the next three years. Anderson, to his credit, has pitched effectively over his 158 innings by posting a 3.36 ERA. But he doesn’t get deep into games, and after pitching a combined 122.3 innings the previous three seasons, what can we realistically expect from him when the calendar flips to October and he has to find endurance and fuel he’s never had to tap into? The Dodgers had two glaring needs last winter and at the trade deadline: Dependability behind Kershaw and Greinke and a reliable bullpen. But as the postseason approaches, is there anyone you trust Don Mattingly to hand the ball to in the playoffs other and Kershaw and Greinke? Anderson? Mat Latos? Alex Wood? None of those guys elicits any sort of confidence in a critical playoff game. How soon, then, before we start wondering if or when Kershaw and Greinke can pitch on short rest, as has been the typical postseason discussion? For that matter, is there anyone you trust to bridge the gap between the seventh inning and closer Kenley Jansen? Different year. Same exact problems In fact, it’s probably worse now than before. At least last year Hyun-jin Ryu was healthy and able to pitch Game 3 of the NLDS against the Cardinals. This year, it’s as murky behind Greinke and Kershaw as the events that led up to Deflategate.

The thing is, the Dodgers had a chance to negate all this angst last winter and in late July when quality arms with proven playoff track records were available as free agents and on the trade market. And they had the money and prospects to make it happen. But like an overly selective batter trying to work a pitcher, the Dodgers watched crushable fastballs cross the plate for strikes before hopelessly swinging at balls in the dirt when they fell behind in the count. Instead of fixing the primary area that’s denied them longer playoff runs — high-end pitching! — new baseball operations leaders Andrew Friedman, Farhan Zaidi and Josh Byrnes felt it was more necessary to address middle defense. They traded soon-to-be All-Star second baseman Dee Gordon — and starting pitcher Dan Haren, mind you — to Miami in a deal that ultimately helped land them a new second baseman and shortstop in Howie Kendrick and Jimmy Rollins. The thinking being, by improving their run-prevention chances, they’d in turn help the pitching. Sounds reasonable. But you know what makes even more sense? Hanging onto the still-improving Gordon and bringing in a pitcher capable of stuffing it down the Cardinals’ throats. Cole Hamels, David Price, Johnny Cueto and James Shields were available and within the Dodgers’ reach. Any of them would have looked lethal taking the mound in a playoff game. But the Dodgers got too cute — or confident — and spit on fastballs right down Broadway. Now I ask you, what would you rather have right now? Better run-prevention defense or another ace-caliber starter? Yeah, me too. Different year. Same problems.

TRUEBLUELA.COM Dodgers vs. Diamondbacks probable starting pitchers By Eric Stephen The Dodgers open a three-game weekend series against the Diamondbacks at Chase Field, their final trip to Phoenix in 2015. Here is a look at the probable pitchers for the series between National League West foes.

Friday, 6:40 p.m. (SportsNet LA) Alex Wood has built more trust in his last two starts, including seven scoreless inning against the Padres on Saturday in San Diego. With exactly five days rest this season, the left-hander is 4-2 with a 2.53 ERA in 10 starts. Fellow southpaw Robbie Ray hasn't picked up a victory since July 7, 0-7 with a 5.23 ERA in his last 10 starts. Since the beginning of August, the D-backs have lost each of his last seven starts, though thanks in part to the otherwise productive Arizona offense scoring 10 total runs in those games. Saturday, 5:10 p.m. (SportsNet LA) Mike Bolsinger gets his third start this season against his former team, and manager Don Mattingly said on Wednesday that part of the reason Bolsinger was slotted into the rotation this weekend was his success against Arizona. Bolsinger struck out eight and allowed two runs in seven innings in a win in Los Angeles on June 8, then pitched four scoreless innings in Arizona on June 29, an outing that was cut short because of some bad oysters wreaking havoc with Bolsinger's intestinal system. Old friend Rubby De La Rosa is second in the National League with 29 home runs allowed in 28 starts this season (old friend Dan Haren has given up 30 homers), and the Dodgers have absolutely owned De La Rosa this season. Los Angeles has won all three of his starts against them, with 16 runs on 19 hits in 15⅔ innings, including five home runs, 17 strikeouts and five walks. Sunday, 1:10 p.m. (SportsNet LA) Zack Greinke is 7-0 with a 1.27 ERA in eight daytime starts this season, and since joining the Dodgers in 2013 is 6-0 with a 1.38 ERA in eight starts against Arizona, with 50 strikeouts and 12 walks in 52⅓ innings. At Chase Field in these three seasons he has been even better, going 5-0 in five starts, allowing three runs for a 0.81 ERA. He pitched seven scoreless innings on April 12 in Phoenix, his only start against the D-backs this season. Patrick Corbin has recovered nicely from Tommy John surgery, going 5-3 with a 3.32 ERA in 12 starts since his July 4 return to the rotation, with 61 strikeouts and just 13 walks in 62⅓ innings. He has a 2.31 ERA in six starts at Chase Field, with 35 strikeouts and only five walks in 35 innings. Dodgers vs. Diamondbacks series snapshot: Arizona edition By Eric Stephen The Dodgers finish out their 10-game road trip with three weekend games against the Diamondbacks in Phoenix. Here is a snapshot of both teams heading into LA's final trip to Chase Field in 2015. Teams: Dodgers (80-59) at Diamondbacks (67-73) Split records: Dodgers on road (33-38), Diamondbacks at home (33-36) Run differential: Dodgers (+76, third in NL), Diamondbacks (+11, eighth in NL) Runs scored: Dodgers 4.12 per game (ninth), Diamondbacks 4.44 (second)

OPS+: Dodgers 105 (first), Diamondbacks 97 (t-3rd) Runs allowed: Dodgers 3.58 (second), Diamondbacks 4.36 (ninth) ERA+: Dodgers 112 (t-third), Diamondbacks 100 (eighth) Last 10 games: Dodgers 8-2, Diamondbacks 4-6 2015 head-to-head record: 9-3 Dodgers (3-3 in Phoenix) 2014 head-to-head: 15-4 Dodgers (6-2 in Phoenix) Diamondbacks SB Nation site: AZ Snake Pit Series Schedule Friday, 6:40 p.m.: Alex Wood vs. LHP Robbie Ray (SportsNet LA) Saturday, 5:10 p.m.: Mike Bolsinger vs. Rubby De La Rosa (SportsNet LA) Sunday, 1:10 p.m.: Zack Greinke vs. LHP Patrick Corbin (SportsNet LA) Julio Urias shelled in OKC loss, Great Lakes eliminated By Eric Stephen It was another rough night for two Dodgers minor league affiliates in the playoffs. Triple-A Oklahoma City OKC fell behind early and dropped a 7-1 contest in Game 2 to the Round Rock Express (Rangers),falling behind 0-2 in the best-of-five series. Top Dodgers pitching prospect Julio Urias had another bad Triple-A outing on Thursday night. He allowed two home runs, including a grand slam, in the first inning, a wild frame that saw him walk two and hit a batter. Urias was done after just one inning with OKC down 6-0 in a hurry. In his three stats in Triple-A, the 19-year-old left-hander allowed 15 runs on 14 hits in 5⅓ inniings, with eight strikeouts and six strikeouts, for a 25.31 ERA. Deck McGuire filled in quite nicely in relief, striking out seven over five innings of relief, allowing just one run. But Oklahoma City was never able to get much going against Anthony Ranaudo, who allowed a run in seven innings for the win. Elliot Johnson and Jose Tabata each went 2-for-3 with a walk in defeat for OKC.

The good news for Oklahoma City is that, while it needs to win the next three games to advance, all three games will be from home at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. Class-A Great Lakes For the second straight night the Loons dropped a hard-fought one-run game to the Lansing Lugnuts (Blue Jays), 5-4, and that was enough to eliminate Great Lakes, dropping the best-of-three series, 2-0. But it certainly wasn't for lack of effort. Down 3-2 in the ninth inning, the Loons had two outs and nobody on. Pinch-hitter Federico Celli singled to stay alive, then Mike Ahmed walked to put the tying run in scoring position. Jordan Tarsovich followed with a single up the middle, just past shortstop Richard Urena. That brought home the tying run, then a wild throw from center fielder D.J. Davis brought home Ahmed with the go-ahead tally. Tarsovich, the Dodgers' 22nd-round pick this year out of VMI, was 3-for-4 with a double on the night. Jimmy Allen had a pair of doubles in defeat. But Lansing had a rally of their own in the bottom of the inning, against Tommy Bergjans. A pair of doubles tied the game, then two walks loaded the bases with one out. First baseman Ryan McBroom, the Midwest League MVP, hit a sacrifice fly to left field to win the game for the Lugnuts. Great Lakes has lost its last six playoff games. Transactions Class-A: The Loons placed outfielder Gage Green on the disabled list with a concussion after getting hit by a pitch in Wednesday's Game 1, and catcher Brant Whiting was activated from the disabled list. Thursday box scores PCL Game 2: Round Rock 7, Oklahoma City 1 Midwest League Game 2: Lansing 5, Great Lakes 4 Friday schedule 5:05 p.m. PT: Game 3 of PCL American Conference Finals (OKC trails best-of-five series, 2-0) Round Rock (Phil Klein) at Oklahoma City (Eric Stults) A review of 2015 preseason top 20 Dodgers prospects By David Hood The minor league regular season has come to an end, and my first year of evaluating Dodgers prospects is in the books. In today’s look back at the 2015 top 20 prospects rankings, I’ve selected an excerpt from each player’s original report to now analyze after the fact, using the entirety of the 2015 season as

evidence to prove or disprove my comments or suggestions. Here is how the top twenty fared against my preseason critiques: Click on the player name to read the preseason profile. 20. Joe Wieland Wieland is ready to contribute to some team’s back of the rotation, and given his major league experience, he’s likely first in line to fill a hole for the Dodgers. Best case scenario is that Wieland pitches to league average across his starts, but it’s hard to project long term durability given his health track record. All things considered, Wieland beat the health concerns, but largely pitched to a fringy profile, including one below average start in the major leagues. He’s likely to get a few innings down the stretch, but his hold on a 40-man roster spot for next season could be tenuous. 19. AJ Vanegas Vanegas will have to prove himself across two to three more levels of minor league ball before he’s receive the same opportunity that guys ahead of him have had or can expect to have in 2015. Vanegas makes the list on potential and the probability of him realizing it quickly. Now he just needs continued good health and innings to prove it. Vanegas took two turns on the disabled list, but pitched enough to double his professional innings. While the ERA is impressive for the California League, Vanegas’ peripherals don’t match what I would expect from someone who flashed the stuff he did at Stanford. Probably holding serve on his standing, but will lose some spots to newcomers to the system. 18. Brandon Dixon It’s still too early to guess at a potential major league arrival date, and it won’t come with contact rates and type he showed last year, but he still has growth potential and plays a position that doesn’t have the highest offensive threshold. Dixon could be the first player off this list if he doesn’t hit next season, but he shows the tools to still believe in him at the moment. This was written while Dixon was a second baseman, which is no longer the case. He looks like a better defensive fit in the outfield, and he isn’t without tools, but the threshold to make it as a corner outfielder is higher than what Dixon is likely to produce, giving him long odds to return to this list. 17. Jeff Brigham At a minimum, Brigham provides depth to the system in either capacity and might be of most value to the Dodgers as a movable asset that will attract teams with the ease of projecting his fastball into a major league bullpen. The moveable asset remark proved correct, as Brigham was one of three prospects sent to Miami in the Mat Latos package portion of the three-way July 30 deadline deal with Atlanta. Brigham cruised through the Great Lakes league, found the California League rough going, before settling back down in the

Florida State League. He is still a ground ball machine, with a 54% ground ball percentage with the Marlins’ organization 16. Daniel Coulombe Though used more as a pure reliever in the minors, Coulombe will likely need to carve his major league niche as a lefty specialist until he gains more confidence at that level. His overall stuff profile compares favorably against his peers on the Dodgers 40-man roster, but the competition for spots will be fierce and Coulombe may need to bide his time in Triple-A Oklahoma City until an opportunity arises. Currently in roster limbo as I type this, Coulombe did not make the most of his opportunities to grab a spot in a frequently in flux Dodger bullpen, and Yimi Garcia proved to be a better candidate for this ranking. Lefties hit .304 against Coulombe in Triple-A, making his chances of finding a major league roster spot more dicey. 15. Cody Bellinger His tools aren’t so loud to suggest he can climb multiple levels in season just yet, and there’s work to be done to iron out his swing to continue producing offensively in the upper levels. Additionally, Bellinger will need a few seasons to add muscle to his frame to hit for the power expected of someone playing first base. To be fair to myself, I was overall pretty high on Bellinger in my report, was ahead of most outlets in ranking him, and nobody forecasted this power outburst. Bellinger will find himself several spots higher next season, but will need to prove his extreme pull approach can work at the higher levels. Only one of Bellinger’s thirty home runs went to the opposite field (nitpicking, I know). 14. Darnell Sweeney A team rebuilding, like Philadelphia, stands the most to gain from a player like Sweeney; where they can afford the patience of watching him strikeout at a 25-28% clip but might get the payoff of a .260/.340/.460 hitter. Allow me to toot my horn on this before you scroll down to read the Chris Reed blurb. Sweeney was always the perfect trade candidate as a player crowded out in Los Angeles but had the talent to warrant a chance elsewhere. Sweeney’s MLB slash line of .200/.304/.475 is a microcosm of his unique skill set and the need for him to be in a patient nurturing environment that I hope Philadelphia intends to offer him. 13. Zack Bird He’s at least two years away from any legitimate shots at reaching the major leagues, but he’s an interesting upside arm to file away with potential dividends down the road. Bird ended up making immediate dividends as a trade piece sent to Atlanta in a package for Jim Johnson, Luis Avilan, Jose Peraza, and Latos (from Miami). Bird was holding his own in the California League with more strikeouts than innings pitched, but also a walk rate in need of halving. The velocity bump was still there, but Bird’s mechanics still suggested a better profile in relief.

12. Pedro Baez He doesn’t have the deception in his delivery to get away with 90% fastballs like Jansen, so he will need improvement/confidence in either slider or change-up to take the next step forward. Baez answered the challenge and incorporated more off his off-speed pitches to jump his K/9 over ten and become an integral member of the Dodgers’ pen. Baez dropped his fastball heavy tendency about 5% to work in more sliders and change-ups. He has managed to throw his fastball even harder this season, but also his change-up 1 mph slower to improve the separation of speed on the pitches. 11. Austin Barnes It’s hard for me to say he’s major-league ready defensively without seeing his receiving skills first hand, but the bat and arm look ready and Barnes should enter spring training with an outside chance of sticking. When I got the chance to focus on Barnes’ receiving skills in Oklahoma City, I came away more convinced he’s ready to handle the rigors of catching in the major leagues. A.J. Ellis kept Barnes at bay this season, but Barnes is more than ready and deserves a look next season. The catching battle will be one to watch in Spring Training next season. 10. Ross Stripling Instead of a change-up like Clippard, Stripling’s best out pitch is a hard slider that almost appears to break straight down at times that he’s able to throw in the zone for called strikes. He also shows an above-average curve with bigger break but doesn’t pop out of hand because he throws from such a high angles. Having now seen him in person, I’m more inclined to reverse my opinion of these two pitches. The curveball looked more like the strikeout pitch, with the slider becoming more of a worm killer. If you read back over the prospect report, the arguments I made for Stripling in relief over the rotation still stand, but he didn’t disprove his ability to stay a starter this season. 9. Alex Verdugo He doesn’t have tools so loud that we could see a call up in two years, but he does have enough of a hit tool to potentially make quick work of the lower minors. I’d still try to keep the expectations low for the first full season and focus on improving his comfort level with pitches on the outer half while also trying to tap into more power pull side. We tempered expectations, as suggested, for Verdugo as he adjusted slowly to full season ball, but once the light turned on, Verdugo exploded. So much so that the first statement might seem a little bullish. Verdugo’s next challenge will be carrying his offensive explosion into the less offensive environments of the Texas League, but the fast track isn’t out of the question now. 8. Chris Anderson

If Anderson makes improvements in Double-A and can reduce his walk rate, then he’ll jump ahead on this as a power throwing starter with strikeout and innings potential. However, I see Anderson as closer to a finished product that might be most effective in relief. Having the chance to see him more in person this year, I feel more resolved about the latter statement. Though durable, Anderson’s peripherals and stuff backed up as the year progressed. I expect a move to the bullpen and a potential prospect rebound could be in the cards for 2016. 7. Zach Lee There’s tremendous amount of value in an arm that can take his turn every time in the rotation, limit walks, and keep the ball on the ground with a decent defense behind him. If Lee regains confidence, and is asked to fill a role in the rotation at some point in 2015, he will have the benefit of the Dodgers’ tremendous infield defense behind him, and parks like Petco, AT&T and his own to suppress big flies. The only part of this statement I may wish I could change would the notion that the Dodger’s infield defense is "tremendous." Lee pitched to this profile this year in Triple-A and is ready for his chance at a rotation spot somewhere. Lee improved his peripherals while maintaining a 51-percent ground ball rate, and his status as a solid tier-two guy will go unchanged heading into next season. 6. Scott Schebler Scott Schebler may not be a name to many now, and his overall tools package won’t get him on many top prospect lists, but the two tools he possesses should make him a starting-caliber corner outfielder that out produces toolsy types. You might be considering tempering expectations like these after the counting numbers Schebler put up in AAA, but I still believe this. Schebler’s BABIP dropped 30 points from AA, and the power dipped a little with it, but the tools haven’t changed, and defensive measures like FRAA have actually been positive. Schebler won’t be ranked quite this high again next year, but he didn’t drop off as much as a couple of players surpassing him on the strengths of their performances. 5. Chris Reed The Dodgers are going to need innings from starters beyond their preferred top five this season, and though Reed may not be first in line, his overall stuff might be the best of those available on the 40 man roster in Triple-A this season. Reed might also be the Dodgers most moveable asset as a ready made starter with plus ground ball ability... I’d personally like to see what Reed could accomplish behind the Dodgers infield defense, and there’s a decent chance we’ll all get to see him at some point in 2015. The line about Chris Reed being a moveable asset was perhaps the only thing I got right in the Reed profile. Reed’s stuff took a big step back, he was demoted to the pen, left in AA to start the season, and eventually traded for fellow minor league lefty Grant Dayton. Reed did make his major league debut with Miami, where his sinker had improved back up to 91 mph in his brief cup of coffee. 4. Grant Holmes

Additionally, Holmes has yet to face any adversity as a pitcher. He was simply too good for the hitters at the rookie level as one of the best arms in the draft, and his first taste of full season ball will tell us more about what we might expect from his stamina, durability, quality of stuff over multiple frames, etc. Holmes faced said adversity in the first month with command issues, and while we can’t consider him cured, he certainly answered the bell with his performance this season. Might give Urias a run for highest-ceiling arm in the system, Holmes still must continue to improve his command to up his potential floor. 3. Joc Pederson While I still believe he can drop the strikeout rate to an acceptable rate around 20% — he’ll only be 23 in April — it will require patience by the Dodgers to allow him to work through this learning experience. The key is that Pederson can still be valuable offensively if he hits .230 next year, if it comes with the walks and home runs his profile suggests. As it turns out, Joc’s strikeout rate has ballooned to 29 percent and has become a major issue in regards to his playing time and psyche. I would not have expected him to be as productive with a K-rate near 30 percent, so his production speaks to his immense ability. Young enough to keep improving, but not out of "enigma" status yet. 2. Julio Urias It’s not out of the question that Urias could run into some adversity at the Double-A level, especially if command of his off-speed continues to lag behind his fastball. I suppose it depends on how you define adversity, but it’s difficult to suggest that Double-A was much of a challenge for Urias. The command of the secondaries was much better than I previously had suggested and is now a major strong suit of his game. 1. Corey Seager The one thing we can say with almost certainty, is that the bat will feature in the middle of the order for years to come. Seager’s bat did little to refute these claims. Though his power hit a bit of a lull in Triple-A, his offense was still advanced for both his age and position, and he’s come on like gangbusters in the major leagues. Seager likely hits between second and sixth in the Dodger order as early as next season.

ESPN LA Seager growing into a major role with Dodgers By Mark Saxon

PHOENIX -- Corey Seager had a little hassle on his hands. His two roommates had been called up to the major leagues a few days earlier on Sept. 1, and it looked like he was going to get stuck cleaning up the kitchen of the house they shared in Oklahoma City. So, his choices were to wade into the muck created by three guys in their early 20s living hectic baseball lives or risk losing his cleaning deposit. Tough call. "He's like, 'You guys are going to leave me here with the house to clean up,'" said outfielder Scott Schebler. But Seager got an unexpected reprieve. His Triple-A manager, Damon Berryhill, called late that night and told him the Los Angeles Dodgers, beset by injuries to their infielders, were calling up Seager, too, weeks ahead of his original timeline. Seager, 21, was on a plane to San Diego the following morning and Schebler's parents soon got a call at their Iowa home. Their son asked them to make the eight-hour drive south to Oklahoma City. They were the victims of geography. Seager's parents live in North Carolina and pitcher Joe Wieland's live in Nevada. Schebler didn't inform his parents until they got to Oklahoma that he needed them to retrieve the players' belongings and clean the house. "I'm like, 'Just say thank you to my parents next time you see them,'" Schebler said. That shouldn't be a problem. Seager, who draws copious praise for his elegant left-handed swing and his rare combination of size and agility, is also widely lauded for his gracious demeanor. In fact, it is Seager's personality that has made him one of the game's most touted young players as much as his tool set, though in reality it's the confluence of the two. What the Dodgers think they have on their hands with Corey Seager is a player with all the drive and baseball IQ of his older brother, Kyle Seager, an All-Star third baseman for the Seattle Mariners, melded to a more imposing body. The experiment has only just begun. Dodgers senior vice president of baseball operations Josh Byrnes said the team had planned to let Seager stay at Oklahoma City through the Pacific Coast League playoffs. Instead, he has played seven meaningful games for the Dodgers, batted .360 with four doubles and, at times, shown that he is, after all, 21 years old. He made two errors in one inning against the Los Angeles Angels and got picked off first base after he hopped a little bit after touching the bag. And nothing he has done has changed anyone's mind that he could be one of the best players in the major leagues for a decade or more. Scouts seem to be lining up to predict great things. "He's very process-driven and you see that here, too, just the way he plays the game. He doesn't show much emotion when he plays, similar to his brother," said Dodgers catcher A.J. Ellis. "He just goes out and competes and tries to make the right baseball play." Ellis notes a difference in Seager's at-bats from those of a typical, high-ceiling prospect summoned ahead of his time. Ellis, perhaps the best pitch-calling catcher in the major leagues, makes a living

reading hitters' swings. He notes how many of Seager's foul balls are either straight back or lined off the other way. "That tells you he's not getting too big, not trying to turn. He's comfortable using the whole field," Ellis said. "A lot of times, younger hitters want to get on the pull side, want to get the head out and want to get more aggressive. He's looking for high fastballs he can hit the other way and to pull mistake breaking balls that break in to him." Seager did have some advantages growing up. Kyle, who is six years older, blazed the family's path to the major leagues and still works out in the offseason with Corey and middle brother Justin Seager, who is a first baseman at Class-A Bakersfield in the Mariners' system. All three boys learned their swings from their father, Jeff Seager, a former college infielder at Fairleigh Dickinson whose professional aspirations were cut short by a broken wrist in his junior season. Their mother, Jody Seager, a special-education teacher at an elementary school, did a lot of the leg work, driving them around to their baseball and basketball games and breaking up their fights when things got out of hand. Corey stood out from his brothers for a couple of reasons. For one thing, he is at least 4 inches taller than Kyle and a couple inches taller than Justin. For another, Corey signed with the Dodgers out of high school for $2.35 million, turning down a scholarship offer to South Carolina. The other boys went to college. Kyle was a North Carolina Tar Heel and Justin went to North Carolina at Charlotte. It wasn't an easy decision for Corey, according to Jeff, who works in information technology for a North Carolina bank. "The deciding factor is you look at your kid and decide if he can handle it," Jeff said. "He's always been a mature, responsible kid and we felt he could handle it. Even when he was a little guy, if you gave him something to do, he did it. He'd come home and do his homework. You didn't have to tell him." Corey Seager said he used to find it weird to finish a minor league game and call his buddies who were attending college classes. Gradually, he got used to it. "I'd wonder where I would be now or what would be going on," Seager said. "It's not liked I wished I would have changed my decision or anything. It was always just, 'Man, I'd be in college right now.'" "He doesn't show much emotion when he plays, similar to his brother. He just goes out and competes and tries to make the right baseball play."" Dodgers teammate A.J. Ellis on Corey Seager Professional baseball can be an unforgiving environment. Seager's rockiest stretch came in 2013, when he batted .160 in 100 at-bats after being promoted to advanced Class-A Rancho Cucamonga. Corey returned home that offseason and realized that, though he was just 19 years old, he was exhausted from playing every day. The fatigue had crept into his swing via bad habits he didn't know he had developed until weeks later. He said he learned to recognize them so he can fix them before things get out of hand. The following season, he had a 1.044 OPS at Rancho before getting the call to Double-A Charlotte.

"He comes home after the fall league two years in a row, tired and beat up," Jeff Seager said. "He takes about two days off and then he's back out there with his brothers ready to work out." Corey Seager is, in a way, central to the Dodgers' plans in the coming seasons, as they try to become more of a homegrown team that doesn't have to field record-breaking payrolls every season. The team's starting shortstop, Jimmy Rollins, will be a free agent, as will second baseman Howie Kendrick. The Dodgers refuse to be pinned down about Corey's timeline, but it's pretty obvious that he is a big part of their infield plans for 2016, whether it's as a shortstop or third baseman. The smart money among talent evaluators seems to be that Seager will simply outgrow the shortstop position. It's only a matter of when, some say. The Dodgers could move Justin Turner back to second base to accommodate Seager at third. They also have another promising young player in speedster Jose Peraza, who can play shortstop, second base and center field. President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman loves positional versatility and Seager has played both shortstop and third all season. Wherever he plays, it will be a lot to throw at Seager, but like many elite prospects, he has had some time to deal with the high expectations. You don't sneak up on people when you're a first-round draft pick and, because Seager was the highest-ranked prospect left in the minor leagues before his call-up, Dodgers fans were clamoring for a glimpse of him for months. What they've seen so far is the body of a player five years older than Seager, but with a kid's smile. They've seen someone who looks like he belongs even if he admits he doesn't always feel like he does, as he tries to avoid stepping on any veterans' toes. "Hopefully, it'll get more comfortable soon," Seager said. The pattern seems to be that, as Seager gets comfortable, he makes opposing pitchers anything but. "The beautiful thing about him is somehow he just rises to the occasion every time, it doesn't matter the expectations," Schebler said. "I'm sure he knows they expect the world from him, but for some reason he just somehow slows the game down every time."

DODGER INSIDER Dodger minor league report No. 22: Even with Lee and Urias, Triple-A Dodgers up against the wall By Cary Osborne The team with the best record in the Pacific Coast League during the regular season is on the ropes. Even with Zach Lee on the mound in Game 1 of the PCL American Conference Finals and Julio Urias starting Game 2, the Oklahoma City Dodgers are down 2-0 in the best-of-five series to Texas Triple-A affiliate the Round Rock Express. Urias was hit hard in the first inning on Thursday, allowing three hits, two walks and six earned runs (including a solo home run and a grand slam). It was his only inning of work. The Triple-A Dodgers lost 7-1.

They lost 2-1 on Wednesday in a game that was called in the fifth inning due to unplayable field conditions after a four-hour rain delay. Veteran Eric Stults is scheduled to pitch in today’s Game 3. Back to Urias, who hasn’t gotten his footing since being promoted to Triple-A. In three games with Oklahoma City, he has allowed 14 hits, eight walks and 15 earned runs while striking out six in 5 1/3 innings. In his other 76 innings this season (a majority with Double-A Tulsa), he walked 16 batters and allowed 25 earned runs. Lee made a strong case for being named PCL Pitcher of the Year, and he was one of five pitchers to receive votes for the prize (ultimately won by Chicago Cubs farmhand Carlos Pimentel). Lee’s 2.70 ERA and 1.11 WHIP were the best of any PCL starter with at least 110 innings pitched (he went 113 1/3 innings). His 19 walks were also the fewest of any PCL pitcher with 100 innings pitched. One more note about the Triple-A Dodgers — current Los Angeles Dodger Austin Barnes was the team’s representative on the 2015 All-Pacific Coast League Team. The tally rises: The Oklahoma City Dodgers have used 83 different players this year. It was at 80 when we counted last week. Rancho run producers: High-A Rancho Cucamonga wrapped up its regular season on Monday and rests until Saturday when the Quakes host Game 1 of the California League’s South Division Finals. Cody Bellinger wrapped up the regular season by earning a spot on the Cal League Postseason All-Star Team. He was joined by catcher Tyler Ogle. Bellinger tied for second in the circuit with 30 home runs, but won the RBI title at 103 and led the league with 97 runs scored. He finished third in total bases (257) and fourth in slugging at .538. Ogle hit 20 home runs and knocked in 75 runs and batted .263/.352/.477. The 25-year-old spent 2014 in Rancho as well and hit seven home runs and 26 RBI, while batting .273/.383/.423 in 126 fewer plate appearances. The Cal League’s final Offensive Player of the Week Award of 2015 went to Alex Verdugo, who went 15-for-26 with four doubles, two home runs and 10 RBI between September 1-7. In 23 games since joining Rancho on Aug. 14, the 2014 second-rounder is 35 for 91 with four home runs and a .385/.406/.659 line. Verdugo was also chosen for the Midwest League Postseason All-Star Team for his season with the Low-A Great Lakes Loons. He was the lone Loon on the team. Tough pill to swallow: Great Lakes’ season ended Thursday with a 5-4 loss in Game 2 of the Midwest League Eastern Division Semifinals.

The Loons were down to their last strike and down 4-3 in the ninth inning to Toronto affiliate Lansing before 2015 22nd-rounder Jordan Tarsovich drove home the tying run on a single. A throwing error allowed a second run to score. However, pitcher and 2015 eighth-rounder Tommy Bergjans couldn’t hold the lead and gave up two runs in the bottom of the ninth, and Great Lakes lost 5-4 in walkoff fashion. Grant Holmes got the start in Game 1 and went 4 2/3 innings, allowing seven hits, two walks and three earned runs, while striking out three. Great Lakes lost that game 6-5. Holmes, the Dodgers’ 2014 first-round pick, allowed 10 earned runs, 14 hits and seven walks in his final 11 2/3 innings this season (four games). That affected his final numbers, but doesn’t reflect an outstanding season. From May 4 to August 7 — a span of 16 games (76 innings), he had a 1.78 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 84 strikeouts. He allowed just two home runs in that frame as well and held batters to a .195/.293/.252 line. */** By Jon Weisman Normally on this day, I post my Dodger Thoughts rewind of the R.J. Reynolds “Squeeze” game. But I felt it was time to revisit something different. I wrote the piece below almost 10 years ago. It’s related to this day, not to baseball. If you’re interested, read on. */** May 5, 2006 [I saw United 93 today. If you prefer to skip the following, I understand.] I can’t always think of 9/11 without going back a couple days prior. My wife and I had taken a trip to Hearst Castle and Cambria for the weekend. During the trip, my wife started to feel ill, which was a concern because we were about six weeks pregnant with our first child at the time. Sunday, September 9, we drove home. As we got out of the car inside the parking garage of the building we lived in, we felt a tremendous shake. There was an earthquake. Not particularly scary, especially for this here native, but it was weird to have it happen the moment we ended our multi-hour drive. Two days later, I was up getting ready to leave for work – my job back then started at 6:45 a.m. – and I passively turned on CNN, as was my custom. I saw an image of the World Trade Center, and seconds later, registered that there was smoke, and seconds later, began to hear announcers trying to make sense of it. The immediate aftermath obliterated anything that we felt or experienced in the days prior. We were fixated on the television and the horror. That night, we learned that my wife’s cousin – whom she was not particularly close to, and whom I never met, was missing. He worked for Cantor Fitzgerald in the

WTC, and he was gone. It gave me a connection to the tragedy – a somewhat phony one, to be honest, since I never knew him – but it personalized the tragedy for us in the sense that it give us a specific family’s grief to think about as the punishingly grim days passed. And then, a few days later, it was our turn. My wife again felt something was wrong. We went to the doctor for an ultrasound, and found that the baby had not been growing the way it should have been. We then had to endure the slowest, most personally painful wait of our lives. A miscarriage – you probably don’t know this until you’ve been a party to one – doesn’t happen in a moment. It was days of my wife living with death inside her, days of living with death surrounding us. It is not the loss of a parent or a sibling or a child that has already been born. But it is very bad. You can’t escape the nightmare, you just have to wait it out. Slowly, time passed. Our baby was gone. Planes began taking off again. Amid the memorials, people began getting on with their lives. And 4 1/2 years have passed. We have been blessed with two healthy children, and we have skirted the perils of life in the 21st century, from plane flights to crossing the street with a toddler by my side. Last weekend, my 21-month-old son pushed open our front gate, and I spent the better part of the evening thinking about what might have happened if for some reason I had been distracted. Around the same time, when I read the reviews for United 93 saying how powerful the film was, I knew I had to see it. My wife, who would sooner stick a fork in her eye than go anywhere near that movie – she says she still relives the terror too often in her own mind – asked me why, and I couldn’t tell her. I didn’t really know why. I just told her I needed to see it. Given the opportunity to leave work a little early today, I went on my own to the theater. (It had to be on my own.) The movie began, and immediately I was tense. I’ve never been tense at the start of a movie, ever. I have a habit during some movies – and I promise you it’s unconscious for a few moments before I realize I’m doing it – to sort of squeeze the napkins that I have with my popcorn or whatever like I’m John Wooden coaching with his rolled-up program in his right hand. Once I realize it, I sort of continue doing it as a silly homage to Wooden. Today, though, in the opening minute of the film, I grabbed the napkins and rolled them up on purpose. Call it pathetic – really, I understand – but I felt I needed something to hold on to. Something to grip. It was because the movie grips you and I swear, it does not let you go. Again, it was unlike any experience I’ve ever had. Normally, if a movie starts to get to me – whether it’s a garden variety horror movie or some insistent human drama (the night before and morning of the final battle of Glory comes to mind), I can step back if I need to and say, “This is just a movie.” And I can breathe like a non-simpering human. But I don’t think there were 20 seconds in this nearly two-hour film that I was able to do that. I realized early on that I couldn’t say, “This is just a movie,” because it wasn’t. For one moment, I tried to think of bigger horrors, and the December 2004 tsunami came to mind, and that gave me a moment’s freedom from United 93, but the movie immediately pulled me back in, and didn’t really let go of me long enough to let me think of another release mechanism. The only other moment I could step back was when I tried to understand why, as the passengers overtly prepared to fight the terrorists, why all the terrorists didn’t try to barricade themselves in the cockpit. Once I understood, I was back in.

I felt I was in a room – not a plane, that would be too precious – but in a room that no matter how much I stepped back, the room would extend back behind me, elastic, a rubber room, egg-shaped, dark with only the light of the movie in front of me. It wouldn’t let me bust out the back end, not even close. As I pushed back, the back of the room pushed me forward. Not harshly, but insistently. There was no getting out. I didn’t cry much. The only time I cried was when the passengers began making their farewell phone calls to their families. That pulled the string on me. Otherwise, it was just a riveted, relentless … if the word hadn’t been defined altogether differently in A Clockwork Orange, it could have been invented for this … horrorshow. When the plane went down, I just rolled my head back, like I was watching someone pass away quietly. It was not a jolt. It was the culmination of watching someone who had been on life support – because we knew the plane was terminal when the movie began – reach the end. I didn’t linger in the dark theater for the closing credits like I normally do. I was due home. As I walked out of the theater, there was a strange phenomenon. From the moment I saw the usher open the doors of the theater, smiling the friendly but timid smile of a good working person conscious of what her clientele just has experienced, the tables had turned. The world was offering me escape from the movie, and I was resisting. I wasn’t ready to let go of the horror. I passed people in line for the Mission Impossible sequel; I passed someone recruiting for a future movie screening. Music played in and around the cinema – a song ended, and the next one, ridiculously, was Earth, Wind and Fire’s “September.” I passed people walking toward the ticketing area, and I felt this undeniable separation. Of course, anyone over the age of roughly 9 remembers 9/11, but they weren’t going through it again like those of us who had just seen this movie were. I didn’t feel superior, I didn’t feel inferior. I just felt I was walking in a different plane. As I got in my car – and I apologize for the Wonder Years-style revelation, but this is how it happened – I solved the mystery of why I needed to see United 93. I needed the reminder of how it felt. I didn’t want to forget the people we lost. I didn’t want to forget the baby I lost. As nice as it has been to let the fever of September 2001 dissipate, my life isn’t real without it. Sometimes the hole closes up. Sometimes, I learned this week, you need to reopen it. This feeling will pass, which is a relief and a sadness for me all at once. Good guy Turner nominated for Marvin Miller Man of the Year Award By Cary Osborne As Justin Turner’s on-field contributions to the Dodgers have received more notice this season, now comes word that his off-field efforts are being recognized. Turner is the Dodgers’ 2015 nominee for the MLB Players Choice Marvin Miller Man of the Year Award. Screen Shot 2015-09-10 at 7.14.50 PM

Turner is one of the most visible players in the community and a constant helping hand at Dodger charitable events throughout the entire year. In January, he made an early appearance at the Dodgers’ 12th annual Community Caravan and helped prepare meals at the Long Beach Rescue Mission. Later in the week, he dined with members of the Wounded Warriors Project at Los Angeles City Hall and helped conduct a baseball clinic for children. In June, he visited sick children at Cedars Sinai Medical Center prior to that day’s game and brought them Dodger goodie bags. In August, he joined the Los Angeles Dream Center for their annual Back to School Bash in distributing 2,000 backpacks, each filled with supplies including pencils, paper and notebooks to families from the Echo Park, Rampart District, Skid Row, Lincoln Heights, South Central and Watts neighborhoods. Fans can vote for Turner, truly one of baseball’s good guys, to win the award by clicking here. Fans can vote for one player from each division. Voting ends at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on Sunday. The players will then choose the award winner from among the six fan-picked finalists as part of their annual Players Choice Awards balloting. Clayton Kershaw won the award last year. A September Sinatra centennial celebration at Dodger Stadium By Cary Osborne Frank Sinatra may have sung “New York, New York,” but his eyes were blue, and during Tommy Lasorda’s time as manager of the Dodgers, his allegiance was with his good friend’s team. In recognition of this being the 100th anniversary of Sinatra’s birth, “Ol’ Blue Eyes” will be celebrated at Dodger Stadium on September 18 with a special event ticket package that includes a ticket to the game and a limited-edition commemorative Dodgers and Sinatra T-shirt. “Frank was a dear friend to me, he was a Dodger and he bled Dodger blue,” said Hall of Fame manager and special advisor to the chairman Tommy Lasorda. “I am so pleased to join Frank Jr. and the Sinatra family in paying tribute to Frank on his centennial year at his favorite ballpark with his favorite team. In my book, Frank Sinatra is the greatest singer God ever put on earth.” Sinatra sang the national anthem at Dodger Stadium on Opening Day 1977 as a favor to Lasorda. The Dodgers invite fans to join the Sinatra centennial celebration at Dodger Stadium and arrive early to hear Frank Sinatra Jr. perform the national anthem. Additional members of the Sinatra family will be in attendance along with Lasorda. After the game, fans can enjoy Friday Night Fireworks, which will be set to Sinatra’s iconic music. Daniel Coulombe traded to A’s

By Jon Weisman Lefty reliever Daniel Coulombe has been traded by the Dodgers to the Oakland A’s for cash considerations. Coulombe, who was designated for assignment Sunday, had a 3.27 ERA with 41 strikeouts in 41 1/3 innings for Oklahoma City this season and a 6.39 ERA with 11 strikeouts in 12 2/3 career innings with the Dodgers. Coulombe’s highlight in a Dodger uniform was probably his shutout 12th inning in a critical September 22 game against the Giants — only his fourth career big-league appearance. Ruggiano, Schebler, Seager, Utley: Celebrating the September quartet By Jon Weisman Despite my having a little fun on Twitter this morning at the expense of those supporting the hysterical Yoenis Cespedes for MVP campaign, no, I’m not seriously launching a #ruggianomvp crusade. But that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy what Justin Ruggiano and three other players who also weren’t Dodgers a month ago — Scott Schebler, Corey Seager and Chase Utley — have meant for the Dodgers. Look at these numbers for September … The Dodgers have 124 total bases this month. Ruggiano, Schebler, Seager and Utley have 55 of those — a stunning 44 percent. As a foursome, they are slugging a Ruthian .714. Combined, they have 1.7 wins above replacement in September. The aggregate total of the remaining Dodger position players is 0.7. This can’t continue, but what’s happened has happened. Since September 1, the Dodgers have gone 7-2 and widened their National League West lead from 4 1/2 games to 8 1/2 games. Credit the pitching, which has a 3.19 ERA (second in the National League) and 1.051 WHIP (first in the NL). But next, credit these four hitters. Only three other Dodgers — Joc Pederson, Carl Crawford and Scott Van Slyke — have a September OPS above even .700. Not since July 12-13, 1951, had the Dodgers had consecutive games with a leadoff home run. Then the Dodgers did it Tuesday and Wednesday, with none other than Ruggiano and Schebler. The most has been written about Utley, who has not only stabilized second base following the injuries of Howie Kendrick and Kiké Hernandez, but anecdotally played at least some part in the Dodgers’ improved baserunning (more so taking extra bases on balls in play than stolen bases). Now you can find more and more about the rest. Examples: Mark Whicker detailed Ruggiano’s 11-year journey from Dodger draft pick to Dodger Stadium for the Daily News. Lyle Spencer gathered reactions to Seager’s debut at MLB.com.

John Sickels wrote about Schebler’s enigmatic prospect status at Minor League Ball. There’s been enough imperfection to keep us from losing perspective entirely. Seager made those two seventh-inning errors Tuesday, which cost Clayton Kershaw 10 extra pitches and a run. Schebler arguably let the Angels’ Taylor Featherston turn what should have been a double into his first triple of the year on a hard grounder down the line in left. These moments have been the exception. It’s way too early to be talking about postseason rosters. That said, I’m going to do a bad thing and talk about postseason rosters. Just for a minute. Don’t judge me. First, if Twitter is any indication, you can’t remind people enough that all of these players are eligible to play for the Dodgers in the playoffs. (They merely had to be in the organization by 11:59 p.m. August 31, whether on the 25-man roster or not.) How many of the September quartet would actually be placed on a theoretical Dodger playoff squad depends on the health of … well, everyone. Players recently nursing injuries include Kendrick, Hernandez, Yasiel Puig, Yasmani Grandal, Jimmy Rollins and even Jose Peraza. Utley would be a postseason lock, but if you asked me to do the math at this point, I’d bet on either Peraza or Seager making a playoff squad as well, even if everyone’s healthy. (Take that with many grains of salt: That’s just me talking out of my own you-know-what.) Both could be there if Hernandez weren’t ready to go. The fates of Schebler and Ruggiano would seem to depend directly on Hernandez and Puig. Even knowing that the combined numbers of Ruggiano, Schebler, Seager and Utley will regress to the mean, even with the uncertain status of several starters, the Dodgers look nicely positioned to have a solid bench for the playoffs. But that’s speculation. More tangibly, it’s great to revel in the rewards of the September quartet in the here and now.

NBC LA 8 Year Old Boy With Leukemia Touches The Lives of Dodgers Stars By Michael Duarte It's one of the most unlikely of friendships – the 6-foot, redheaded third baseman for the Los Angeles Dodgers, and an 8-year-old boy from North Bellmore, New York. The duo might not appear to be the perfect pair, but we assure you, they are the best of friends. Turner first met Luke Lang in March of 2013 when he was playing for the New York Mets. At the time, the 6-year-old, Lang, was fighting for his life after being diagnosed with lymphoblastic leukemia, a rare type of cancer in which the body's bone marrow makes too many lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell. The chance meeting occurred on March 28, 2013 when the Mets were taking on the Washington Nationals. It was the first time Luke was able to leave his home since being diagnosed, and he was anxious to get to the game and cheer on his favorite team.

For Turner, he thought he would meet Luke, give him an autograph, and be on his merry way, little did he know that Luke would change his life, and become a part of it forever. "It was an extremely special day for me. Our relationship has grown since we first met in 2013," Turner said. "His family are now really good friends of ours. We tried to make it as special of a day as possible." Luke came with a gift for Turner on that day, a thoughtful, and touching token that affected Turner to his soul. It was not an expensive gift; it was not anything that at first glance would make one turn their head in amazement, but the tiny bracelet that carried Turner's motto, "Losing is not an option," was enough to make Turner open up his heart. Shortly after the season, Turner was released by the Mets and signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers. For many professional athletes, the cross-country move to the west coast would mark the end of the friendship, but not for Turner and Luke. Turner made sure that the duo remained in each other's lives. When the Dodgers clinched the NL West Division last season, Turner flew Luke out to Los Angeles for a celebration at Universal Studios. A few weeks later, Luke was at Dodger Stadium for the team's NLDS matchup with the St. Louis Cardinals. But the friendship and generosity didn't end there. In July, when the Dodgers were in New York for a four-game stretch at Citi Field, Turner headed out to Long Island to surprise Luke at his Little League game. A couple months later, when Luke's season was over, Turner flew his friend back out to Los Angeles where the two partied at Dave & Buster's. Turner asked the Dodgers if Luke could throw out the ceremonial first pitch at an upcoming game, and the Dodgers obliged, slating Luke into the most important series of the season against the rival San Francisco Giants. Luke took the mound in front of over 40,000 people at Dodger Stadium and delivered a dart to his friend Turner. But before the game, Luke decided to touch the life of another Dodger, super-utility player, Kiké Hernandez. "I went to Dave and Buster's with him and he won this big 6-foot stuffed banana. I had no idea he was going to bring it to the game, but when he walked in with it, I was dying laughing," Turner said of the present for Hernandez. "I had Kiké come over, and he hung out with him for an hour, only because he had a great time with him." Turner asked Hernandez to come over and meet Luke during batting practice, and the always-jovial player, who created the rally banana, instantly said yes, expecting to brighten the youngster's day. Little did he know, Luke brightened his: "I thought I was going over there to put a smile on a kid's face," Hernandez explained of the meeting. "But it ended up being the other way around." Luke had won the giant stuffed banana prize at Dave and Buster's a night earlier with Turner. The prize was a night's worth of arcade games, tokens and tickets. Ordinarily, any other 8-year-old would selfishly take home their hard-earned prize and hang it on their shelf, but not Luke, look gave it to Hernandez.

"That’s just the type of kid he is," Turner said of Luke's generosity. "People are attracted to him, his smile, his sense of humor, and his outlook on life is pretty incredible considering the cards he was dealt." Hernandez agrees: "We complain about so many things, and here's an 8-year-old kid with Luekemia," Hernandez said. "It opens your eyes. It was very emotional for me. I'm looking forward to seeing him again." Luke and Turner plan to continue to be the closest of friends and remain in each other's lives. Turner has already promised Luke a return trip to Los Angeles if the Dodgers make the playoffs, which seems likely as they stand 8.5 games up in the NL West as of today's date. "September is Children's Cancer Awareness month and he got to throw out the first pitch on Sept. 1," Turner concluded. "Hopefully it let everyone know about his story and make people more aware about Children's Cancer." Remember, September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and there are plenty of kids in the world like Luke that could use a friend.

JEWISH TELEGRAPHIC AGENCY

Meet Joc Pederson, the Jewish rookie powering L.A. Dodgers’ run to playoffs By Hillel Kuttler WASHINGTON (JTA) – Ask Los Angeles Dodgers’ rookie outfielder Joc Pederson how his season is going, and he’ll talk about the team. “We’re playing great baseball, and that’s something we’re looking to continue to do,” a shy and wary Pederson told JTA recently following a spirited game of dice with teammates Justin Turner and Scott Van Slyke before they faced the Nationals here. “It’s not how you start but how you finish, make a run and win the World Series.” His Dodgers are primed to make a postseason appearance, holding an 8 1/2-game lead over the defending World Series champion San Francisco Giants in the National League’s Western Division following the games of Wednesday. Pederson, 23, has made a solid contribution to the effort, notably before the All-Star break, when he slammed 20 of his rookie-leading 24 home runs to earn a berth on the N.L. squad. The Dodgers are smitten by the power-hitting, slick-fielding center fielder, who had been a favorite for the league’s Rookie of the Year Award prior to a prolonged slump. Pederson is “pretty much what we expected – and we expected a lot,” said Dodgers pitching ace Clayton Kershaw. “We knew we were getting a guy who’s a gamer, [who] wants to play every day, plays great defense in center field … and, offensively, walks a lot and can hit the ball a really long ways – and does it pretty frequently.”

So often that at the Home Run Derby during the All-Star break, the lefty-swinging Pederson drilled 39 baseballs into the bleachers in Cincinnati, very nearly besting co-finalist Todd Frazier of the Reds before the hometown hero prevailed. With each Pederson blast that night, his mother Shelly’s cellphone vibrated in the stands from all the incoming text messages. Many of those congratulations came from Shelly’s girlfriends from her long-ago journey in the minor leagues that in 1985 briefly landed her husband and Joc’s father, Stu, in the major leagues, where he also played outfield for the Dodgers. It was Shelly who in 2012 went to Congregation Beth Sholom, the San Francisco synagogue where her late father, Larry Cahn, had his bar mitzvah, to produce proof of Joc’s Jewish heritage so he could play for Israel’s World Baseball Classic team that autumn. He batted second and played right field in the WBC and, despite his youth – Pederson was 20 and in A ball, several rungs below the majors – offered this encouragement to teammates before the opener, Israeli pitcher Alon Leichman recalled: “Don’t be afraid to be good.” Pederson has been plenty good as a professional, rising in the Dodgers’ system to win the Pacific Coast League’s Most Valuable Player award last year, leading the circuit with 33 homers, sandwiched by appearances on the Los Angeles roster before making his major-league debut in September. In the offseason, the Dodgers traded Matt Kemp to San Diego to open the center-field job to Pederson, who has impressed many with his glove. “He’s really solidified us defensively,” said his manager, Don Mattingly. Dodgers’ broadcaster Rick Monday, who starred at the position for the team in the 1970s and ’80s, said Pederson “can run it down in center field with anybody.” Despite his problems at bat in late July and August, Pederson remains among the rookie leaders in runs scored and runs batted in, is leading in walks and is second in plate appearances. His early prowess helped earn Pederson the start in left field in the All-Star Game. Pederson has seen his average dip to .215 as of Wednesday. And he’s also been prone to the strikeout. Mattingly, a premier power and contact hitter for the New York Yankees in the 1980s and ’90s, believes that Pederson can knock off 50 strikeouts a season by refining his swing beginning this winter. “He’s got to put the ball in play to get a run in or move the runner, get the runner in from third,” Mattingly said. “It’s really good for him and for us if he’d understand how to do that.” Pederson learned the game from his father along with elder brother Tyger, 25. Stu Pederson erected a batting cage in the backyard of the family’s home in Palo Alto, California, led drills and viewed videos of elite hitters with his boys. When Stu coached for Palo Alto and Cupertino high schools in Northern California, the brothers would serve as the batboys.

“We’d enjoy the moment. Later we realized how fortunate we are to have a dad … to teach us all those lessons from a young age,” said Tyger, an infielder for the San Rafael Pacifics, an independent team based north of San Francisco who is being recruited to work as a coach in the Israel Association of Baseball. Said Joc of their father, who is coaching this summer in Alaska, “It was just good father-son bonding time. I wouldn’t be where I am without him.” The boys have a younger sister, Jacey, a high school soccer star who has accepted a scholarship to play at UCLA. Their eldest sibling, brother Champ, 27, nearly stole the show at the Home Run Derby. That’s because of the embrace he received on live television by another contestant, Angels’ slugger Albert Pujols. Champ Pederson, like Pujols’ daughter Isabella, has Down syndrome. The Pedersons first met the Pujols family during spring training in Phoenix at the premiere of “Where Hope Grows,” whose lead actor has Down syndrome. Pujols’ foundation helped fund the feature film. “Albert’s a special human, and he does a lot for Down syndrome, so it was a pretty special night for everyone,” Joc Pederson said. “I think that was bigger than the Home Run Derby.”

CBS LA

Dodgers Will Host Frank Sinatra Tribute On Sept. 18 By CBSLA.com LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — The Los Angeles will honor the legendary Frank Sinatra on September 18th at Dodger Stadium, when the team hosts the Pittsburgh Pirates at 7:10 PT. The team is partnering with Frank Sinatra Enterprises and the GRAMMY Museum at L.A. Live to present fans with a special event ticket package that includes a ticket to the game and a limited-edition Dodgers Frank Sinatra T-Shirt. Throughout 2015, the 100th anniversary of Sinatra’s birth has been celebrated throughout the world, but the Dodgers. Sinatra’s favorite team, are planning their own salute to “Ol’ Blue Eyes” on the 18th of September. Hall of Fame Dodgers’ Manager and current Special Advisor to the Chairman Tommy Lasorda was a close friend of Sinatra. “He was a Dodger and he bled Dodger blue,” Lasorda said. “I am so pleased to join Frank Jr. and the Sinatra family in paying tribute to Frank on his centennial year at his favorite ballpark with his favorite team. In my book, Frank Sinatra is the greatest singer God ever put on earth,” he added.

On October 21st, 2015, the GRAMMY Museum at L.A. Live will also present an exhibition called Sinatra: An American Icon, which will celebrate his greatness through artifacts. The exhibit will feature rare concert footage of Sinatra, memorabilia, private photos and also will have many artifacts from the Sinatra family collection.

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